Claudio Grech (born 2 August 1974) is a

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

politician with the Nationalist Party.

Biography

Grech's political career began within the private secretariat of former PN Minister

Austin Gatt Agostino Pio "Austin" Gatt (born 29 July 1953Profile at Mal ...

. He was often referred to as Gatt's right-hand man, and Gatt later testified that Grech was also in charge of his campaign in the run-up to the 2008 general elections, although Grech refuted this claim. Grech was appointed CEO of

SmartCity Malta SmartCity is a technology park under development in Kalkara, Malta. The original plan was to transform the Ricasoli Industrial Estate into an information technology and media city on the models of Dubai Internet City and Dubai Media City. T ...

in 2008; he resigned in 2009. He was later appointed Chairman of

Malta Information Technology Agency The Malta Information Technology Agency (Abbreviation: MITA) is a Maltese government agency under the Office of the Prime Minister. MITA manages the implementation of IT programmes in Government to enhance public service delivery and provides the ...

(MITA) and resigned in 2011 in the wake of allegations by the Labour opposition that his position granted him access to private citizens' data that was incompatible with his role within the Nationalist Party. These claims led to an investigation by the Data Protection Commissioner, which found that Grech had no access to citizens' personal information. Grech also served as CEO for

Polidano Brothers The Polidano Group is the largest private construction business in Malta. History Charles Polidano (Iċ-Ċaqnu, born 1960) and his brother Paul founded in 1982 a small construction company, which was incorporated as Polidano Brothers Ltd in J ...

, a company owned by construction magnate

Charles Polidano The Polidano Group is the largest private construction business in Malta. History Charles Polidano (Iċ-Ċaqnu, born 1960) and his brother Paul founded in 1982 a small construction company, which was incorporated as Polidano Brothers Ltd in J ...

. Grech was first elected to the Maltese Parliament at the

2013 elections The following elections were occurred in the year 2013. Asia * 2013 Armenian local elections 26 May, 17 November, and 8 December 2013 * 2013 Armenian presidential election 18 February 2013 * 2013 Bangladeshi presidential election 22 April 2013 ...

and again in 2017. During his parliamentary career, he has served as the shadow minister for health, the family and the economy, and has come to be seen as the party's chief ideologue. In 2021 he was appointed PN spokesperson for political renewal, research and development, and given the responsibility for drafting the party's electoral manifesto. Grech is considered a moderate voice within the Nationalist Party and has frequently been tipped as a potential leader for the party. Grech is also known to hold socially conservative views and is believed to have been heavily involved in the Nationalist Party's campaign against the introduction of

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

at the 2011 referendum. He is also known to hold

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respo ...

views, having proposed amendments to the Child Protection Act which would include the foetus in the legal definition of a minor. Grech's private Foundation has supported the Life Network Malta Foundation, an

organisation based in Malta. Grech is believed to be Malta's wealthiest MP, with an analysis of his asset declarations finding that he held a net position of €841,954 in 2021. Grech, together with his wife, is the founder of the Save A Life Foundation, a voluntary organisation carrying out community work with children and youths. Grech is known to donate his entire parliamentary income to the Foundation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grech, Claudio 1974 births Living people Nationalist Party (Malta) politicians